The tumor-associated antigen L6 (TAL6), a member of the transmembrane-4 superfamily, is a tumor marker antigen expressed on various cancer cells, e.g., cells of lung cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, and ovarine carcinoma. An anti-TAL6 antibody has been found to induce antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity against TAL6-expressing cancer cells and inhibit tumor growth in nude mice, indicating that TAL6 is a target antigen for cancer immunotherapy.
Cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitope-based cancer vaccine is a promising anti-cancer drug. Containing a CTL-epitope from a tumor target antigen, this type of cancer vaccine induces cytotoxicity responses against tumor cells expressing the target antigen and thereby results in elimination of the tumor cells. Identification of CTL-epitopes from a tumor target antigen is essential to development of a CTL epitope-based cancer vaccine.